


A Bedtime Story

by SnaxAttacks



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Gen, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-23
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-27 10:31:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/977713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnaxAttacks/pseuds/SnaxAttacks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zacharie makes a friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bedtime Story

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Zacharie. The world was smaller back then, as it was just in its infant stages. Zacharie was very lonely. Everyone was much older than him and were far too busy with adult responsibilities to play with him. He liked baseball, and even had a bat that he had found while wandering the land alone. He loved the bat, affectionately naming it Ashley. He knew it was odd to name a bat, but he didn’t care.

 

One day, while wandering his usual haunts, he saw something strange. It was a building. Large and rectangular and black as pitch. The building was very frightening to him, and he was unsure why. But, curiosity gripped him and urged his worn down boots forward. He pulled Ashley from his backpack of worldly belongings and held her close for protection. He entered the cold, dark building, shivering as he traveled further inward, into the inky black. He wished he had a candle or perhaps a lantern. He hoped the strange building wasn’t haunted. He had heard the adults mention ghosts and they seemed very scary.

 

As Zacharie’s eyes began to adjust to the environment, he started to detect a very faint light in the distance. His feet glided on the floor, the feel of it strangely becoming softer as he continued closer to the dim illumination. He finally got to the end. It was a closed door. Blinding white light leaked from around it. He tried to peer through the keyhole, but the sterile fluorescence stung his eye.

 

He tried the knob, and luckily for him, it seemed to be unlocked. He cautiously walked into the light, shielding his face from the brightness. The pain in his retracting pupils died down and he lowered his hands, finally able to take in the room he had entered. It was a living room, with all the furnishing one would expect of a common family living space. He had never seen one before in real life, but he had read about them in the library, before they kicked him out for trying to live there. He tried to recall proper house manners, and took off his boots, setting them by the door. Yes, that seemed polite. He let his toes sink into the plush carpeting. However, he was snapped out of the pleasant sensation by a not too pleasant sound. Crying.

 

Ever curious, the boy trailed the saddening noise, letting it take him to a door on the other side of the room. He smushed his ear against the door and listened. A child was crying, a child that sounded about the same age as himself. Not being able to stand it any longer, Zacharie grabbed the handle and flew the door open. He always liked dramatic, heroic entrances, so he quickly posed with Ashley, looking particularly awesome. Well, at least he felt awesome.

 

The crying stopped. The homeless boy, not breaking his pose, let his eyes skim the abode. Sure enough, there was another boy, sitting on the floor, staring at him with wide eyes, puffy from crying. Zacharie realized his pose wasn’t the best thought out, and Ashley was quite heavy for a little stringbean of a kid like himself, the weight of her finally forcing his muscles to give in. He flopped onto the floor in a perfect pratfall on top of the bat, flat on his face. The other boy’s expression contorted for a moment, then, laughter. Zach grinned sheepishly. His body hurt, but at least the other boy wasn’t crying anymore. He couldn’t resist chuckling a little himself.

 

The black haired kid pulled himself from the rug and quickly retrieved Ashley, dragging her along the floor as he approached the bald one. He plopped down next to him and stuck out his hand warmly for a handshake. That’s how you greet people… Right? “HI I’m Zacharie!” The air became very tense as the other kid stared at his hand. Zach froze up. Seconds ticked by until the stranger hesitantly reciprocated, delicately taking the tanned and dirty hand before him and weakly shaking it. “I’m… Hugo.”

 

Zacharie looked around the room, gaping at all the cool things in it. He had toys and comics and EVEN A BED. “Wow! Is all this stuff yours??” Hugo nodded, though he seemed less interested in talking about himself than learning more about this intruder. He repressed a shiver. He knew if Mama found out someone had come into his room… Or worse… Papa… But, he was so lonely and, well, people didn’t just wander in everyday. He decided he would face the wrath of his parents when they arrived, because being with someone for a change would be worth it. Hugo spoke, softly, “… Are you from… outside?”

 

The grubby boy confirmed the sickly one’s suspicion, and didn’t skip a beat, regaling him tales of all the things and stuff he did from day to day, like climbing buildings, sneaking into the mines and getting kicked out by angry workers, or riding the cows, or even stealing stuff from the Gomez Galleries and trying to resell it for money he could spend on fun things. Zacharie, not letting the other child get in a word edgewise, grabbed his pack off his back and dug down, retrieving his second most prized possession. “And this, I didn’t even steal. I saved up credits for 6 months for it!” He set the wooden box on the floor before Hugo and slowly opened it, bringing the gears inside to life. The music box played, tinking along, the barrel of pins rotating and creating a sweet tune that filled the room. Zacharie grinned, seeing how fascinated his new friend was by it.

 

"Pretty cool, huh?" The messy haired boy stated more than asked. They watched it until the gears wore down, the music slowing and eventually stopping. Zach took the item and gently closed the lid, but let it remain on the floor. He turned his eyes to Hugo. "So what do you do for fun?"

 

"I… Don’t really do anything…" The pajama clad one admitted, not catching the gaze of his peer, "Mama and Papa don’t let me outside anymore… They say I’m sick and I have to get better first…" Zacharie chimed in, "Sick? Oh oh I know about being sick! I found that pukin always makes me feel better, especially when I get sick from eating old meat, I just stick my finger in my mouth an-" "No no! no-not that kind of sick…!" Zacharie, who was miming the action, slowly lowered his hand, "Oh, sorry."

 

Hugo sighed, “It's a really bad kind of sick, but Mama keeps saying I’ll get better some day.” Zacharie sat in silence, then spoke, softer as he realized the situation, “So you stay in here all the time? Wow… ” Hugo, however, added, ” B-but you’re here now…! Maybe we could… Play…?” Zach’s eyes lit up and he agreed instantly. So, the two played in the room. They drew, and played board games, and pretended, all while Zacharie told more wild stories of living on the street and generally being a scamp. They laughed and, for the first time in either of their different, but sad lives, the two children were truly happy.

 

Hours passed like minutes, until suddenly something crashed into the living room. Hugo jumped with a surprising amount of energy and scrambled into bed. Zacharie, not knowing who it was, but understanding that he wasn’t supposed to be there, quickly grabbed Ashley and scooted under the bed, making himself as small as he could. His dark eyes watched as the door slammed open with an impressive amount of force. Something large and shadowy lurched into the bedroom. it stood on two legs, but it was certainly NOT human. It was covered in white scales and its head was huge, mostly a jaw with rows of pointed canines, along with massive, saucer-like, unblinking eyes. The monster growled sharply. Zacharie heard Hugo’s voice from above him squeak out, “Hello… P-Papa…”

 

'Papa' hissed, and held something up. Zacharie flinched. It was his boots. Hugo spoke up again, “Oh-oh yeah…. M-mama brought them… Earlier… She brought them and left them by th-the door… She said I c-could wear them… When I got better.” The reptile seemed to agree with this answer and tossed the shoes aside. For the next few minutes, Hugo tersely conversed with the monster. Regardless of calling it his parent, it seemed to make him uncomfortable. After forcing the boy to take his medication, the tall figure slunk out of the room, but not before cocking its head and eerily peering into the darkness beneath the bed.

 

When he was sure the coast was clear, The hidden boy emerged, staring at the doorway and speaking, “… That thing is your dad…?” Hugo responded, “It’s.. More complicated than that…” Zacharie retrieved his boots and tied them onto his feet once more. For some reason the encounter had left him more shaken up than it should have. The boy in the bed remained silent, understanding. It wasn’t until the tanned boy’s hand was on the doorknob that Hugo spoke again, “Zacharie… Will I ever see you again…?” The ratty one turned, conjuring up a warm smile, “Of course! We are friends after all!”

 

Every other day, he returned. Playing games, telling stories and drawing pictures with Hugo. Years passed and Zacharie began to notice, as his body grew and his voice deepened into adulthood, Hugo remained the same as the first day he met him. Hiding under the bed was becoming more and more difficult. Eventually, the day came when Zacharie had to bid Hugo farewell. The sick boy simply smiled at his friend, and reassured him, that once he was feeling better, he would come and see him.

 

—-

As The Batter passed through the doorway, a numbing cold over took the masked man. He knew the fate of the ones beyond that door. There was nothing left to do. He sat down by the edge of the plastic, removing his backpack of now meaningless items and digging into it. He found the prize among the junk and retrieved it. It was far more beat up now than he remembered, but with a little luck it still worked. He set the small box on the ground and delicately opened the lid. The old metal gears whirred to life, spinning the barrel of pegs. Zacharie closed his eyes and leaned against the wall as the tune filled the room and he waited for the end.


End file.
